Modern laboratory techniques such as high-throughput screening of candidate drug compounds may involve preparing and analyzing hundreds of thousands or millions of samples. Recently, the processing of such samples has been facilitated by packaging samples in high-density sample holders, such as microplates, for analysis together in an automated device. FIG. 1 shows an offset stack of microplates, illustrating the range in possible well densities and well dimensions. Plate 130 has 96 sample wells. Plate 132 has 384 wells. Plate 134 has 1536 wells. Plate 136 has 3456 wells. Plate 138 has 9600 wells.
Unfortunately, prior systems for processing large numbers of samples have significant shortcomings. For example, prior systems may not have the flexibility to process sample holders with different sample densities, or the sensitivity or accuracy to process sample holders with very small samples. Moreover, prior systems may be limited to single (unit) operations, meaning, for example, that they can dispense samples or analyze samples, but not do both. Thus, prior systems may require different apparatus for different applications, or lead to missed hits, limited research capabilities, lower throughput, and/or increased costs for compounds, assays, and reagents.